Education
Blog
Pictured: Bede and his mother with Brendan Hoy; CDF GM Client Services and Aaron Gupta; CDF Relationship Manager.
Mandurah Catholic College – set amongst 12 hectares of natural bushland in the coastal suburb of Mandurah in the Peel Region, south of Perth – has recently undergone a transformative change with the completion of its Stage 19 capital development plan.
It’s match day at St John’s Regional College in Dandenong and four soccer games are underway on the school’s bright green, full-sized synthetic turf pitch. The verdant surface shines in midday sun as students dribble, pass and let fly goalward with unabashed enthusiasm. Watching from the sidelines is Shelley Isles, St John’s Business Manager. “The creek used to run through this part of the school and most of the time it was just mud,” recalls Shelley. All that changed in 2019 with completion of Stage 1 of a Masterplan redevelopment, that includes new administration facilities, a staff lounge, and the all-weather soccer pitch.
Pictured: Students at Holy Cross Primary School, Mickleham
The CDF team celebrated with St Ignatius College, Geelong, at their ‘top out’ ceremony, for the eagerly anticipated MacKillop Senior Centre. The ceremony, a construction tradition, marked the completion of the building frame, with the final structural beam being raised into place.
The annual Father James Wall Bursary provides six leadership achievement awards of $4,000, to Year 10 Catholic secondary school students who demonstrate leadership potential across a range of areas. These include science, arts, public speaking, sporting activities, community service and social justice activities.  The bursary, sponsored by Catholic Development Fund, assists with school fees and other expenses incurred during the student’s Year 11 and 12 studies. The 2021 recipients were nominated by their respective schools at the end of 2021 and once determined, were recognised in several presentation and award ceremonies held over the course of this year. CDF staff assisted in the presentations and personally congratulated each of the students in front of peers, teaching staff and proud families. In 2021, four bursaries were awarded to students from the Melbourne Archdiocese, one from the Diocese of Sale and one from the Diocese of Bunbury. Applications for the 2022 CDF Fr Wall Bursary will be closing on 31 October 2022. For more information, and to apply, visit: https://catholicdevelopmentfund.org.au/fr-james-wall-bursary/
MacKillop Family Services currently operate across Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia, offering programs including out of home care, disability services, youth support services, education services and family services/support. They have been a CDF client for the past 25 years and during this time, CDF has provided a number of transactional banking solutions across their extensive network. A rather new initiative from MacKillop Family Services is their Paw Pals program. It was developed to keep vulnerable young people (5 – 18 years of age) engaged with education. Through the use of therapy dogs, these young people are provided a safe and supportive learning environment where they can enhance their academic, social, and emotional skills. Currently in place across 55 schools, MacKillop Family Services has seen great success with many students, like Ethan (see story below), now back in classrooms thanks to the canine-assisted learning program. Their team has also identified a real need for this program in many un-serviced areas, which is why they’re raising funds to extend its reach. Have a read of Ethan’s story below to understand the positive impact of the Paw Pals program. On Thursday 28 April, MacKillop Family Services will be holding its fourth annual Paws4Kids Matched Giving Day . This year CDF is proud to be a Matching Partner and help MacKillop reach their goal of $330,000, which will support students in need across Melbourne and Geelong and see the expansion of the program to Ballarat. All donations made on the day will have triple the impact. That means for every $50 donated, funds will be tripled to $150 by MacKillop’s Paws4Kids partners, which includes CDF.
Strength in Community
We’d like to congratulate the foundational class of St Angela of the Cross Warragul, who begin school this week. The brand-new school is named after St Angela, a Spanish saint known for helping the poor and sick, and whose ethos is reflected in the school’s motto ‘Called to Serve.’ CDF is proud to have provided the loan that built the school. The initial development consists of five new classrooms, an administration facility, a sports facility oval and a netball court; all completed in time to welcome the new students in 2021. The design of the school is multi-level, and it is painted in vibrant colours, offering a sense of energy and possibility to all who enter the grounds. Justin Greenwood, the newly appointed School Principal is looking forward to the start of term. His vision for the school is to create a strong academic environment, alongside an emphasis on personal development. Flexible learning spaces will be prominent throughout the school providing an environment where children can learn from one another as well as from their teachers. In addition to academic results there is a strong focus on establishing a community that will follow in the footsteps of St Angela. There will be regular social justice initiatives and an already strong committee that will be oversee fundraisers, ongoing partnerships with charities and helping those in need within the local community.  Justin says, ‘as the foundation principal of St Angela’s Primary School, I’m excited to work with others to build our community, following in the spirit of St Angela of the Cross. I’m thankful for CDF’s support that meant our vision has become reality this week.’
Christian Brothers College (CBC), located in St Kilda, is stepping into a reimagined future. After 142-years of rich history as an all–boys school, it will open the doors this week as a coeducational school and be renamed St Mary’s College. This significant step in the school’s history has been spurred on by the growing demand in the inner South East of Melbourne for co-educational schools, alongside the opportunity that presented itself with the closure of sister school, Presentation College. St Mary’s College will continue to foster a strong community where everyone knows one another. The four touchstones of (1) inclusive community, (2) liberating education, (3) social justice and (4) gospel spirituality will continue to be the heartbeat of the school. Students from different backgrounds and life experiences will always be embraced. To support the college in their new chapter, Catholic Development Fund (CDF) provided a loan for a much needed and impressive school renovation. Andrew O’Brien, college business manager, says “the presentation of the campus is very important in living out the deep values that the school stands for and this renovation, gave us space for greater connections.” The upgrade included a multi-purpose room, air-conditioning throughout the building, a student plaza, classrooms and a very special space dedicated to teachers. The renovation of the staffroom was particularly important to the school to show staff appreciation for their leadership. Andrew says, “we wanted to give back to teachers because they go through a lot. Staff work hard so we wanted to show them our support through this renovation by giving them modern amenities and a nice environment to walk into each day.” Classrooms were redesigned, so they became modernised, yet at the same time the paid homage to the history of college. The most impressive aspect of the school upgrade is the student plaza. An area that was once dark and dingy has now been transformed into a lively, bright and light space. This versatile and flexible area acts not only as an assembly area but has multi-purpose rooms, a commercial grade kitchen, tuck shop and is adaptable for community group use. CDF has had a long-standing relationship with CBC and now looks forward to the future with St Mary’s College. Andrew O’Brien says, “CDF has gone above and beyond in giving us guidance, advice and support. Personally, in my professional career, working with CDF has been one of my best experiences.”  “There is no doubt that the school has greatly benefited and transformed from the refurbishment. We are a school not just about numbers but about our community, and the school upgrade and re-enlivened learning spaces reflect this ideal. CDF has been our key partner in achieving our redevelopment goals. Being a Catholic organisation, they understand our Catholic ethos and values”, he says.
Disclosure Statement: CDPF Limited, a company established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, has indemnified the Catholic Development Fund ABN 15 274 943 760 (the Fund) against any liability arising out of a claim by investors in the Fund. In practice, this means your investment is backed by the assets of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. The Fund is required by law to make the following disclosure. Investment in the Fund is only intended to attract investors whose primary purpose for making their investment is to support the charitable purposes of the Fund. Investors’ funds will be used to generate a return to the Fund that will be applied to further the charitable works of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and the Dioceses of Sale and Bunbury. The Fund is not prudentially supervised by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority nor has it been examined or approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). An investor in the Fund will not receive the benefit of the financial claims scheme or the depositor protection provisions in the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). The investments that the Fund offers are not subject to the usual protections for investors under the Corporations Act (Cth) or regulation by ASIC. Investors may be unable to get some or all of their money back when the investor expects or at all and investments in the Fund are not comparable to investments with banks, finance companies or fund managers. The Fund’s identification statement may be viewed here or by contacting the Fund. The Fund does not hold an Australian Financial Services Licence.
